Report: NBA Looking to Establish Mexico City G League Team as Early as Next Year

The NBA G League is reportedly working to create a franchise in Mexico City as early as the 2018-19 basketball season.

Marc Stein‏ of the New York Times reported Thursday the NBA is trying to establish the new team in its development league as "quickly as feasible."

In October, NBA commissioner Adam Silver toldSam AmickofUSA Todaythe capital city of the United States' southern neighbor held immense potential.

"Mexico City is a city with over 20 million people, a country of 130 million people, and a huge Mexican American population," he said. "We're only looking at it from a more general standpoint—and we're playing games again in December (the Brooklyn Nets are playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and the Miami Heat on Saturday). It's something we'll continue to keep eye on."

Silver added the league is "not looking at expansion at the moment" and noted there would be "hurdles politically and economically" to add a full-time team in Mexico.

The G League—the rebranded NBA Development League—features 26 teams that serve as the NBA's version of the minor leagues. Only one of those franchises, the Raptors 905 in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada), is located outside the U.S.

Steinnoted the Mexico City team would be "owned and operated locally," though it's unclear which NBA team it would be affiliated with as the league attempts to achieve one G League squad for each of its 30 organizations.